The 'Rosariohanon' Community

Some friends at the local Catholic Church making 'hinagum', a local delicacy made of rice, coconut milk, and sugar, traditionally prepared just after harvest.

I am now moving in on my one-month mark in Rosario. When dealing with only a 5-month service, as opposed to two years, this milestone is all the more significant. Over 20% of my time has now passed by.

It should follow that my relationship with the community would suffer due to this brevity. But I am pleased to find that this is not the case. Compared to Mali and Kenya, both of which would nevertheless become second homes to me, the Philippines does not present the same caliber of cultural challenges when it comes to integration.

The main impediment to integration was and always is language, and that remains the case here. I have been trying to learn ‘waray-waray’, the local dialect, but am unlikely to get very far without any formal training and with only limited time on my hands. But unlike in Africa, most people here can speak English well. Whether they choose to use it is another story.


The term ‘nosebleed’, used to describe someone speaking English above his or her ability, is ingrained in the local vernacular. People are often too embarrassed to speak English, concerned that their grammar will expose them as unintelligent. Regardless, ‘waray-waray’ is always the language they use amongst themselves. I’m not a fan of being in a place where I can’t speak the language, but their English proficiency has made things quite smooth and hastened my integration.

I am developing strong relationships here, especially with a group of guys who refer to themselves as the 'Baraks Boys’, owing to the wooden shelter they maintain as their nightly gathering place in the yards of one of the members. They are young men of between 18 and 31 years of age, who are also very active at the local Catholic Church. A large portion of them have even attended seminary school in the past.

The 'Baraks Boys' spend much of their time volunteering at the local Catholic Church. They almost exclusively make up the male contingent of the choir at all masses, and also volunteer their time to construct the new catholic church, which has been ongoing for several years as funds are available for materials. Funds are raised from the Rosario community itself, both those currently residing here and expatriates living abroad. A true grassroots effort.

Most nights of the week, you can find me either at ‘the baraks’ or at the Catholic Church itself. If you would have asked me, really at any point in my life after the age of 10, whether I could see myself spending so much time at a church, just hanging out with a Catholic priest and friends, I would have answered a resounding ‘no’. But this church is different, no doubt owing to the communal and open feel of Filipino culture. Father Roni is one of the most down-to-earth and enjoyable guys to be around, and I’ve had a great time with everyone over there.

On another day, 'Sweet Corn' and Ric-Ric, both 'Baraks Boys', prepare a pork stew cooked with the blood of a pig for all of us at the church.

One of the most striking aspects of the culture is that of alcohol. It is impossible to describe life here without it. Beer, brandy, and rum are the drinks of choice. Filipinos drink alcohol in the same manner Malians drink tea. It is for any and all social occasions, and a single glass is shared between all people. Once one person takes a shot, the glass is refilled and passed to the left. And it doesn’t stop, ever, until the night comes to an end.

Filipinos are also very fond of music – namely classic American love songs from the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. And part of this fondness presents itself in both guitar sing-a-long sessions and ‘videoke’. ‘Videoke’ is what we in the states call ‘karaoke’, and is generally part of every party in the Philippines. Most houses have a machine hooked up to their TV, and many nights are spent just singing with a few friends. Of course one of my first songs was dedicated to my Dad, the karaoke legend himself. No other than “Stairway to Heaven”.

Therefore, the communal feel and the social nature of Filipino culture is very much like Mali, in fact. The only difference… I may stagger home a bit at the end of the night, as opposed to being slightly buzzed on caffeine. And yes, I may have caused a few more ears to bleed from my singing.

Turning to work, this past Saturday marked the completion of our Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) team’s first task towards accomplishing our goal of developing a Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan. Bobi, my counterpart, and Iso, the municipal engineer, joined me in visiting all of the 11 barangays (districts) within our municipality.

We finished the task ahead of schedule, and I owe it to the motivation and work ethic of these two men. We have now begun to sit down together, review all of our data, and plan an upcoming strategy workshop with local officials to prepare the actual municipal DRRM plan. With the exception of the digital hazard maps, which has hit a snag due to a lack of available technology, I couldn't be more pleased with our progress.